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James... « Trem troubles but still a solid axe »
Published on 12/14/11 at 18:47Made in Korea I suspect. Usualy Schecter quality, have played a lot of these and they are consistently pretty good. Comparable to LTD and upper end Ibanez. In fact I believe the Schecter stuff is made in the LTD factory too. 24 jumbo frets with 25.5 scale. Mahagony neck and body. Duncan Invader pickups and a Floyd Rose trem. Pretty much a shred machine. No big surprises here.
UTILIZATION
I am the lead player in a band that tours more than anything, and we have a partial endorsement with Schecter. This is good because quite frankly we tour pretty hard and these guitars typically last about 4-6 months on the road depending on how long our tech and myself can keep them going. Usually the higher end ones $600+ last longer than the cheaper Schecters but there are exceptions. This is not a knock against the brand. We used to be endorsed by Jackson and it was basically the same story. They might have lasted a bit longer but Schecter takes better care of us.
Anyway, I decided to give the Gates Custom a whirl on tour last year. I usually like more traditional body shapes but I can tolerate this one. It's a lot like an explorer. It plays well enough. Average for Schecter. No dead frets.
SOUNDS
I've never been a really big fan of Duncan Invaders but I think the mahogany in this guitar really warms them up for solos. They are high output and while I rarely play rhythm they have a nice full sound when strumming. I think perhaps they could've went with something else in the neck but it's not a big deal. The band plays hard rock and metal stuff. I think this might be one of my favorite schecters so far for what I do. Shame I can't bring my nice guitars out on the road but oh well.
OVERALL OPINION
I do have one complaint about this one and it's a problem I've had with a few other floyd schecters. The locking nut on these licensed trems are not good. It's getting to a point where me and my tech are replacing them as soon as we get them. I play lead and I really need a floyd, but Shecter locking nuts don't stay in tune for me because they don't secure small gauges very well. It's a problem I've had for about 3 tours now. I will either keep replacing the nut or get non floyd models. Still, not a huge complaint but something to think about. Overall this is a good axe for the price I think.
UTILIZATION
I am the lead player in a band that tours more than anything, and we have a partial endorsement with Schecter. This is good because quite frankly we tour pretty hard and these guitars typically last about 4-6 months on the road depending on how long our tech and myself can keep them going. Usually the higher end ones $600+ last longer than the cheaper Schecters but there are exceptions. This is not a knock against the brand. We used to be endorsed by Jackson and it was basically the same story. They might have lasted a bit longer but Schecter takes better care of us.
Anyway, I decided to give the Gates Custom a whirl on tour last year. I usually like more traditional body shapes but I can tolerate this one. It's a lot like an explorer. It plays well enough. Average for Schecter. No dead frets.
SOUNDS
I've never been a really big fan of Duncan Invaders but I think the mahogany in this guitar really warms them up for solos. They are high output and while I rarely play rhythm they have a nice full sound when strumming. I think perhaps they could've went with something else in the neck but it's not a big deal. The band plays hard rock and metal stuff. I think this might be one of my favorite schecters so far for what I do. Shame I can't bring my nice guitars out on the road but oh well.
OVERALL OPINION
I do have one complaint about this one and it's a problem I've had with a few other floyd schecters. The locking nut on these licensed trems are not good. It's getting to a point where me and my tech are replacing them as soon as we get them. I play lead and I really need a floyd, but Shecter locking nuts don't stay in tune for me because they don't secure small gauges very well. It's a problem I've had for about 3 tours now. I will either keep replacing the nut or get non floyd models. Still, not a huge complaint but something to think about. Overall this is a good axe for the price I think.